又是四五天大雪纷飞，村里又有两家屋子被雪压塌，陆云风只能常往村里跑，陆家萝卜青菜多，也时常往村里塌房的人家里送。
The snow was knee-deep, and the road to the county town was impassable. The county town suddenly became like an isolated island. The villagers could not transport firewood, vegetables, or pigs in, and the people in the county town could not buy vegetables or firewood. The price of rice and flour skyrocketed.
On the 29th day of the Lunar New Year, a haggard-looking man in his forties pushed aside the snow in front of him and slowly made his way towards Wangjia Village. From a distance, only his upper body could be seen sliding through the snow. If he hadn't walked this road for forty or fifty years, he might have really lost his way halfway. His stubble was covered with ice crystals, frozen into patches. When the man saw the village, he couldn't help but cry, but the tears froze as soon as they reached his eyes, icicles sticking to his face. He didn't dare wipe them away until he reached the edge of the village, where people were walking on the road, and only then were his feet freed from the snowdrifts.
He didn't encounter a single person on his way home, so he knocked on the door. The village chief's wife opened the door and was startled. Where did this beggar come from? The man almost knelt down, "Mother, Mother, it's me, Zhaozi!"
The village chief's wife was even more shocked. Her eldest son, Wang Zhao, was a well-known shopkeeper in Linshui County. He had been valued by a shopkeeper when he was young because of his studies, and became his accountant. Later, he married the shopkeeper's daughter. The shopkeeper then opened a shop for him in Linshui County, where he could earn forty or fifty taels of silver a year.
The villagers gossiped behind Wang Zhao's back that he was marrying into the family, but the village chief wasn't angry at all. He said that the shopkeeper had a son, and he gave the shop in Fenggu County to his son. What was wrong with letting his son-in-law open a shop in the next county?
Besides the Lu family, who else in the village lives as powerfully as his youngest son?
How did you end up looking like a beggar? "Xiao Zhaozi? You, why are you only coming back now? Where's your wife? Where are the kids?"
He usually goes home on the 26th of the twelfth lunar month, driving a horse-drawn carriage with his wife, son, and plenty of New Year's supplies, looking quite impressive.
Wang Zhao's body was frozen stiff, and he could barely speak. The village chief's wife quickly helped him inside, brought hot water to melt the ice on his face, and then poured him a bowl of ginger soup. "Mother," she said, "the roads around Linshui County are all blocked by snow. In many places, trees have fallen, and carriages can't pass. I heard that it has snowed for more than half a month in the prefectural city to the north. Rice and flour from the surrounding areas have all been taken to the prefectural city. Most of the boats going to and from the prefectural city are frozen on the water and can't move, so rice can't be transported in. My family has run out of rice and flour, and we can't buy any in the county town either. The children have been crying from hunger these past two days, so I had no choice but to come back and get some food."
Linshui County is located west of Fenggu County. It is mostly mountainous and forested with little water, yet it was named after the river. Like Fenggu County, it was under the jurisdiction of Wanzhou Prefecture.
The snow has been falling for ten days now. Vegetables and firewood are already expensive in winter, let alone this year with the snow disaster. In the first few days after the snow started, many people in the county town went to buy rice. Although Wang Zhao's rice jar was almost empty, he wasn't worried at all. They had been taking their own grain from home for the years. Besides, the New Year was just around the corner. If they ran out of grain, they would just buy some New Year's goods. They could simply close the shop and go home for the New Year. After the New Year, they could bring back a bag of rice from home. It was convenient, easy, and saved them money.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. The snow got heavier and heavier every day, and the rice jar at home was almost empty but the snow didn't stop. Every household in the county town had no vegetables to eat, and even if they had money, they couldn't buy any. He couldn't bear to see his children go hungry, so he had no choice but to brave the snow and come back.
The children were suffering, and the elderly in the family couldn't bear to ignore it. Wang Chao had received a lot of help from his uncle over the years. He carried a bag of rice out of the house and said, "Uncle, I'll go with you to Linshui County. We'll each carry half a bag of rice to get through this difficult time. This rice should be enough for half a month. After the snow melts, we can use a horse-drawn cart to bring more rice."
Wang Zhao gulped down his porridge, his eyes welling up with tears. "We're out of firewood at home."
In the dead of winter, without rice or firewood, people could die. The village chief's wife was almost in tears. She called her second son, "Second son, go and carry some charcoal."
Tears streamed down Wang Zhao's face, but he remained motionless. The village chief's wife finally noticed something was wrong. "Zhaozi, tell your mother the truth, what's wrong?"
Wang Zhao squatted on the ground, covering his face, "Mother, Linshui County is in chaos."
"What do you mean by chaos?" The village chief's wife was completely bewildered, but she had a vague idea of the answer yet dared not believe it. "You, explain yourself clearly."
Wang Zhao burst into tears, “Mother, a lot of refugees have come to the county town. The county magistrate can’t control them. Those people are burning, killing, and looting in the county town. My wife and children have been arrested. The refugee leader said he wants to exchange them for food and charcoal. I have no choice, I really have no choice…”
The village chief's wife screamed and fell to the ground, "Damn it, what a tragedy!"
The village chief turned pale. "What do you mean the county magistrate doesn't care?"
“The county magistrate is dead.” Wang Zhao could no longer bear the torment in his heart. “It was the refugee leader who told me. He said he killed the county magistrate. He told me this in secret. At that time, they arrested my wife. I wanted to report it to the authorities, but that man told me that he had killed the county magistrate!”
"This is a rebellion!" The village chief could no longer stand and shakily sat down, leaning on a chair for support. "Son, are you sure you'll release your wife and children once the grain arrives?"
Wang Zhao knelt down on both knees. "Father, no matter what, I have to try. I can't abandon my wife. We've known each other since we were little. She married me and suffered with me, and gave birth to three children for me." He crawled over on his knees. "Father, I'll go by myself. Whether I live or die, I can't drag my elder brother and nephews down with me. I'd rather die with my wife and children."
The village chief was in despair. "There's a riot in Linshui County. The imperial court will send troops to suppress it. They won't be able to distinguish between the rioters and the people in the county town. They'll just kill you all."
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